Cran-Apple juice facts for kids

Cran-apple juice, often called Cranapple, is a popular drink made by mixing cranberry juice and apple juice. It's sold by a company called Ocean Spray, which is a cooperative. This means it's owned by the farmers who grow the cranberries.

The idea behind Cran-apple juice was to combine the slightly sour taste of cranberries with the sweet taste of apples. This mix makes a delicious drink that many people enjoy.

How Cran-Apple Juice Was Invented

Before Cran-apple juice was created, cranberries were mostly sold around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. People usually bought them as cranberry juice or cranberry sauce. But Ocean Spray wanted to sell cranberries all year round, not just during holidays.

In 1963, a marketing expert named Edward Gelsthorpe joined Ocean Spray. He had a big goal: to find new ways to use cranberries. He knew that people wouldn't eat cranberry sauce all the time, no matter how much advertising was done. The company also faced a challenge because in 1959, there were worries about chemicals used on cranberries, which made some customers nervous.

Edward Gelsthorpe worked with a food editor named Sylvia Schur. Together, they developed the Cran-apple juice blend. Their goal was to find the perfect balance between the tartness of cranberries and the sweetness of apples.

A Big Success

The new Cran-apple juice was a huge hit! It gave Ocean Spray a product that could be sold throughout the entire year, not just during the holidays. This helped the company grow a lot.

Edward Gelsthorpe became very well-known for his work on Cran-apple. In fact, he was often called "Cranapple Ed" because of his success with the drink. Cran-apple juice also started a trend, and soon other companies began making their own fruit juice blends.